My Time Before MIIS
Before coming to the Middlebury Institute, I studied Linguistics and French at the University of Oregon. I graduated in June of 2022, and went on immediately to earn a Fulbright scholarship to teach English in Türkiye. I chose Türkiye specifically because of the in-country program itself in addition to my previous two years of studying the Turkish language. I left in September of 2022 and was placed in the southern region of Hatay, which some people dubbed the “food capital of Türkiye.” I truly loved my experience in the multicultural Mediterranean region; I made lifelong friends through my Fulbright cohort and learned so much about the culture that ultimately made me fall in love with the country. I traveled extensively within Türkiye to see ancient Cappadocia and its hot-air balloons at sunrise all the way to snow-covered Erzurum at Christmastime to celebrate the “American” holiday with my cohort. I can’t even begin to describe the impact that Istanbul had on me as well, out of everywhere I’ve traveled I believe this is truly my favorite city in the world.
My time in Türkiye was unfortunately cut short due to the destructive earthquakes in February of 2023. My town of Antakya was leveled and I had to leave everything behind to get out of my apartment safely. I lived in refugee facilities for days until the US Embassy evacuated me to Ankara, where I stayed with a friend before ultimately getting sent back home. I look back on my time in Hatay fondly and hope to return one day to reconnect with friends that still live in the area.
